he's also issued an invitation to us, to pakistan saying that pakistan would be welcome to send military observers to join his troops on this side of the border. let's listen to what he had to say about that, heidi. >> a number of our headquarters here and just like to create the strongest connections possible. we already have a pretty good partnership, but the stronger it gets, the better we all are. >> any coming over and operating with troops on this side? >> they'll talk about the specifics of where people operate, but i will tell you that we do have growing links with the pakistani military, the afghans and pakistani military and us and i think it's all good. >> so this is a cross border insurgency, a cross border phenomenon, heidi. it definitely needs joint cooperation between afghanistan and pakistan if it's ever going to be defeated. heidi? >> obviously. ivan watson, thanks so much, we appreciate that. >>> need to get to iraq now because a series of bombings shaking the country this morning. at least 20 people are dead in a suicide attack in the northern city of mosul. dozens mor

pakistan's former prpt benazir bhutto assassinated on the street. in some attacks on american soldiers in afghanistan. a u.s. counterterrorism official blames this man with his back to the camera, baitullah mehsud. no doud he has american blood on his hands. >> this is an individual whose title is a motorist thug was well deserved. >> reporter: in march, the u.s. put a $5 billion bounty on his head. a senior defense official says the suit was watched long enough to develop a pattern of his activity and there is growing confidence mehsud was killed in an air sprik with this region. president obama authorized nearly as many unmanned squads as president bush did all last year. i asked a defense official, will this strike give the u.s. leeway to conduct more? he told me it gives us room with the pakistani government maybe and allows a bit more freedom, but not with the people. >> certainly officials with the pentagon will begin tells the obama administration this may not be an excellent strategy considering we must win the hearts and minds in this regio

lost souls of the pakistan's terror. the boys told me they were stolen from their families, abused and beaten by the taliban. the first day they beat us, and then they made us exercise. they made us run and told us you will wage jihad. they told us that the army is against the koran and wage jihad against them. the pakistan military gave cnn limited access to these boys. the army says they rescued them during heavy fighting. their identities protected because of the possibility of retribution. the youngest is only 13. we can't independently verify their stories, but doctors say they have no doubt. the boys themselves each told me how they were kidnapped by the taliban. "i was coming from the shop to my house, i had some stuff with me. they said, put your stuff in the car. should we drop you in the square or in the village? they blindfolded me and pot hand on my mouth. other boys said they were snatched working in the fields. in militant camps they were being trained to be suicide bombers to do the taliban's killing. >> w

. >> reporter: pakistan's military says these are the lot of souls from the pakistan terror. the boys told me they were stolen from their families, abused, beaten and brainwashed by the taliban. "the first day they beat us. then they made us exercise. they made us run and told us, you will wage jihad." "they told us that the army is against the koran, it is against islam. they said, wage jihad against them." the pakistan military gave cnn limited access to these boys. the army says they rescued them during heavy fighting with the taliban in pakistan's swat valley. their faces are covered. their identities protected, because of the possibility of retribution. the youngest is only 13. we can't independently verify their stories, but doctors say they have no doubt about their trauma. the boys themselves each told me how they were kidnapped by the taliban. "i was coming from the shop to my house. i had some stuff with me. they said, put your stuff in the car. they said, should we drop you in the village or in the square? when we reached the village, i said, i want to get off here

pakistan's army drove the taliban from their strong hold. zarg zarghon, doing the taliban's bidding was the price of freedom. it saved his life and gave him back to his family. what was it like when you saw your family again after this experience? when you saw your children again? >> i guess it was -- that was something i think the most beautiful gift of my life is that. i returned to my home and i saw my children. >>> a doctor challenges his congressman on health care reform and the congressman challenges right back. >> not a single one of you had the decency to call my office and set up for a meeting. okay. then do that. do that. >> so what is going on here? what is in this health care reform bill and what is not? and what's going on in all these town hall meetings? more importantly, is there even a bill to debate. we have facts. no yelling, no screaming, no one getting arrested, we hope. things are going from bad to worse in detroit. first the car companies and now the schools are facing bankruptcy. [ male announcer ] preparation h cream.

. >>> also, pakistan's lost boy. they say the taliban stole him from their families and forced them to train for terror. hello to you all, glad you could be here. i'm t.j. holmes sitting in for my good friend tony harris. you are in the "cnn newsroom." >>> the former president clinton hopes to bring two jailed journalists home with him. elaine quijano is on the story with us at the white house and jill doherty joining us, as well. elaine, i want to start with you here. we've been hearing a lot coming out of there and a lot of this information, we can't confirm since our reporters aren't necessarily traveling and a lot of people didn't know about this trip. president clinton was carrying a message from the current president obama. what are you hearing from the white house on that? not the case. >> yeah, t.j., the white house flatly denies that. last hour at the press gaggle, basically, and secretary robert gibbs office he was asked about this. was there a message that former president clinton, because of this report,

a dragnet has fallen across pakistan. six members of the taliban arrested. powerful explosives were found. the district police commander tells cnn these men were planning to bomb mosques and police stations. it is pakistan's wealthiest province. a strike here would be a clear blow to the country. in the southern port city of kurachi, seven men with links to al qaeda arrested. police say drugs and explosives were found. their targets, unknown. on sunday, cnn gained exclusive access to these suicide vests. the government says they uncovered a plot some four weeks ago. the vests were intended to strike at the heart of the pakistani government. the parliament is a five-minute drive from pakistan's most powerful intelligence agency, the isi. both are in the heart of the pakistani capital. >> they were staying in one house and had hidden the suicide jackets not far from there in the hills which we have recovered. obviously, they had a plan. >> reporter: hitting back at the government would seem to be a high priority for the newly appointed leader of the pakistani

and we're getting reports of 27 people killed near pakistan's border with pakistan. the u.s. navy taking gunfire and take a look at this navy video shot from a helicopter off the coast of somalia. the crew was filming somali pirates holding a hijacked ship when someone shot at the chopper with a large caliber weapon and the it was not hit and did not return fire. >>> let's get you to rob marciano. rob, i was going to ask you what is going on in the tropics and what's the latest on danny, but, oh, good, give us an update on the wildfires in california, if you would, sir. >> a handful going on there. the last check about 20% contained or so. but the big one which you reported yesterday, still over 1,700 acres burned and these red areas you see there, those are red flag warnings. these are areas with relatively low levels of humidity and hot again today. yesterday we had record-breaking heat and i think we'll see that again today with temperatures in some spots up and over 100 degrees. that's not going to help firefighters. not much in the way of rain, that is mostly across part

, richard holbrook is in pakistan today. sat down for an exclusive interview with holbrook. cal joins me now live from the capital of islamabad. did holbrook think that the government is correct when they say they have the taliban on the run? >> reporter: he does, he thinks the taliban is on the run. he thinks the death of the taliban leader is certainly key to that effort, but there is an inherent sort of contradiction that i picked up on when i asked him the question. we heard this swat offensive has been a huge success. but at the same time, we've had three separate attacks in the past 24 hoursment take a listen to what he had to say. >> i don't think there's any question that the operations have been a success, and combined with the removal of the worst of the worst of the pakistani taliban. i think we've seen a great improvement of the security situation. at the same time, we don't know yet whether this is the destruction of the taliban and swat or just their dispersal. it'll take a while to find that out. >> so if they

young girls rebuilding their lives in pakistan. (announcer) this is nine generations of the world's most revered luxury sedan. this is a history of over 50,000 crash-tested cars... this is the world record for longevity and endurance. and one of the most technologically advanced automobiles on the planet. this is the 9th generation e-class. this is mercedes-benz. >>> checking today's top stories now. iranian president ahmadinejad is vowing to make opposition leaders pay for the election protests in june. today he calls for them to be put on trial and given stiff punishments for quote orchestrating and provoking the painful unrest. ahmadinejad says activists on trial right now were deceived by opposition leaders and should be treated with mercy. >>> a tense meeting between hamid karzai and holbrook. the two men had sharp exchanges about afghanistan's recent election. holbrook emphasized to karzai the election process needs to be respected and if a runoff election is required, then so be it. early results show a close race between ka

story out of pakistan. at least 20 people were killed in a suicide bombing that happened near the border of pakistan and afghanistan. this is according to intelligence officials telling us here at cnn. the victims were apparently security personnel that were getting together for a meal to end the daily fast which takes place during the muslim month of ramad ramadan. the suicide bomber apparently went into the barracks of a paramilitary force in the district and blew himself up. so, again, we will continue to follow this story throughout the day and get you more details and bring it back to you. >>> let's get you over to rob marciano now who has been tracking tropical storm danny. >> heidi, we have the very latest. this is the 11:00 advisory. let's get you up to date on that. winds at 60 miles per hour and still gusting to 70, but according to their discussion, it lhas become better organized and you can see here the cloud canopy and all the infured imagery showing the action and starting to wrap around a li

. >> the pakistan army has to decide for itself when and where. there isn't any question of the direct threat to both american threats to the troops in afghanistan. they have to figure out what kind of resources they have. we're going to encourage them but it's their decision. >> do you believe that the taliban has been decapitated, that he's dead and do you think that they are sort of disintegrating? >> i think he's still dead, yes. but they are not admitting it or announcing it because they are having a power struggle with who is going to succeed him. the reason it's clear that he is dead, if he wasn't, he would be giving tv and radio interviews to prove that he's not dead. as you well know, he gave press conferences. and the succession price is going on and the chaos benefits us and it doesn't mean that this thing is over. >> now, holbrooke is obviously talking about the pakistani taliban, which is different than what you find in afghanistan. what i find is amazing is when i talk about strategy, afghanistan versus strategy, the u.s. has boots o

the suspect was injured in a drone attack near pakistan's border with afghanistan. captured and then brought to islam bad for treatment. the other semanutother man is a spokesman. >>> the federal reserve making it easier for banks to get money, so why aren't the banks making it easy for you? it's delicious. delicious. i know. but it can't have... can't have about half a i assure you it does. i was expecting... expecting sawdust and cardboard? i know. i can only taste... only taste the crunchy clusters, honey, and brown sugar. no madam, i don't have esp. ok. i'll take a box, but you probably already knew that. (announcer) fiber one. cardboard no. delicious yes. >>> just in to us here in the newsroom. michael jackson hasn't been buried yet, but we're getting word from los angeles his burial will be saturday, august 29th. it will take place at the glendale forest memorial park in glendale. according to ken sunshine, that would be michael jackson's 51st birthday. would have been his 51st birthday. the spokesman says it is going to be a private ceremony, limited to just

. >>> pakistan's most wanted terrorist has been killed in a military strike. an aide to baitullah mehsud was killed. he was considered the leader of the insurgency and the prime suspect in the assassination of benazir bhutto. we smoke with stanley mcchrystal about the situation in mack stan. >> i would welcome pakistani liaison officers in a number of our headquarters to create the strongest connections possible. we already have a pretty good partnership. the stronger it gets, the better we are. >> reporter: have there been any operating with troops on this side? >> i am not going to talk about the specifics of where people operate but we do have growing links with the pakistani military. i think it is all good. >>> a lot going on in the "cnn newsroom" today. we are just getting started. stay with us. >>> we're pushing forward on one of california's new laws, nooses banned if they are threatening. >>> this eresults into violence a at a town hall. what's really going on here? i think i'll go with the preferred package. good choice. only meineke lets you choose

the elite mi-5 intelligence agency recruited two men who attended al qaeda training camps in pakistan. the men received several weeks of trapg before being ejected from mi-5. the lawmaker believes the men got into the agency because of a rush to beef up intelligence following the 2005 suicide bombings in london. there are also concerns about the past activities of four other members of that mi-5 unit. >>> capitol hill is clearing out for the august break right now. but lawmakers are leaving with the health care work on their mind. from the president. he is urging congress to keep up the momentum after a sweeping health care reform bill, one a critical thumbs up from a house committee. elaine quijano live at the white house. explain what the president is saying today? >> you know, the president obviously wants to make sure, don, that congress stays on track to get health care reform done this year. you mentioned that the house committee passing its own version of health care legislation is a victory for the white house. so in a written statement, the president said, quote, this histori

has some new breathing room in pakistan. because the progress in fighting the taliban. that is according to washington special envoy richard holbrooke who says the white house is ready to focus on other aspects of its relationship with islamabad like the economy. this comes as hundreds of thousands of refugees return to the swat valley after a three-month owe finsive apparently released the taliban's grip on the area. shootings happen everywhere in the u.s., but right now in chicago there is a problem that we cannot ignore. i traveled there this week and met dave, who lives in a neighborhood known as k-town. that's short for killer town. of course dave isn't his real name. but because of what he does, dealing drugs, he asks that we keep his identity private. listen to what he told me. >> this neighborhood, what do they call it, k-town, killer town? >> k-town. some do still call it. a lot of [ bleep ] happens, i'm not going to lie to you. like i told you, my brother -- 18 holes -- by god's will -- >> your brother's been shot 18 times? >> no, hit about 18 holes -- about f

military will wait on dna evidence to confirm whether the leader of the taliban in pakistan is dead. nuclear weapons reports say that he was killed last week in a suspected u.s. drop attack on his father-in-law's house. yesterday officials say gunfire broke out at a meeting to pick his successor. one of the leading candidates was killed. the taliban denies that. >>> outside los angeles prison officials are trying to clamp down on a rye jot that left several inmates hurt and one build be on fire. local fire crews and police are on the scene. the violence broke out last night and left several inmates injured. the prison is a medium security facility. >>> in massachusetts, the sister of john f. kennedy remains in critical condition this morning. 88-year-old eunice kennedy shriver is the fifth of nine kennedy children and became a founding force of the special olympics. shriver's daughter maria has traveled to be with her and she's accompanied by her husband and governor of california, arnold schwarzenegger. >> ves levels -- stress levels are going up in emergency rooms. >> then we're go

at least one of them trained at terrorist camps both in pakistan and afghanistan. the men are accused of planning murders overseas. part of the violent holy war. a seventh suspect has his hearing coming up next week. >>> a chilling self-portrait. the man who killed three people at a pennsylvania fitness club revealed his plan on the internet. cnn's jeanne meserve with the story. >> reporter: george sodini was silent when he opened fire at his pittsburgh-area health club killing three women before taking his own life. but in his online diary, the 48-year-old spoke volumes about the carnage he was to inflict. why do this to young girls, the journal begins. just read below. i kept a running log that includes my thoughts and actions. indeed, he did. he called his killing spree his project and it began months ago. on november 5th, 2008, he wrote, plan to do this in the summer, but figured to stick around to see the election outcome and in an entry from december 22nd, an apparent reference to the plot and the women at his gym. time is moving along. plan to have this done

this is number 8, the one investigators are looking for, the one they believe is in pakistan. they are hoping someone will see this picture of 20-year-old jude kenan mohammed and offer clues as to where he is. the other men are in custody and indicted of accusing to plot terrorism in a foreign country. >>> the fight for afghanistan turning into a raging fire fight today. u.s. and afghan forces hitting hard at taliban militants. the militants hitting back. barbara starr takes us to the front line. >> reporter: up close with marines on the front line. part of operation eastern resolve two, the third major push this summer into the dangerous and lucrative center of afghanistan's drug trade. 400 u.s. marines and 100 afghan troops jumped taliban lines and helicopters to take the town of dahana in helmand province, the first time u.s. troops have entered the strategic city. >> it is one of the key towns in the area. all the smaller towns depend on them. >> reporter: the marines are part of the 21,000 extra troops president obama ordered up earlier this year. their immediate mission,

. >>> a new attack on taleban fighters in pakistan. happening in the same region where the taliban leader was reportedly killed last week. but there are now questions about that this morning. cnn's cal perry has more now from islamabad, afghanistan. >> the second attack and at least ten people have been killed and the location, the very same as that strike occurred on wednesday that reportedly killed taliban leader mehsud. the pakistani government at this point sticking with their line saying they are confident he is killed, but not 100% confirming. they are waiting for that key dna evidence. cnn was able to speak to a spokesman who was challenging the claim saying that mehsud is alive and he is ill suffering of diabete

. >>> pakistan, the government says it's taken two terrorists off the streets. i have a map for you. they say one of the taliban members is a commander who was arrested out of islamabad hotel. he's being treated from injuries from a drone plane attack. okay. the other guy is a spokesman for the militant group. now, this is interesting. one would not think that a militant group would have a spokesperson, right? there you go. things we learn every day on cnn, two days before historic elections in afghanistan, the taliban is claiming credit for the morning's rocket attack on the presidential palace. later in kabul, a suicide bomber targeted a military convoy, things are certainly hot and heavy there. seven civilians were killed, by the way, and 53 others injured. this is the latest violence since taliban insurgents vowed to disrupt thursday's historic elections there. those who know the difficulties of battle and know it all too well. the veterans of foreign wars. that's who the president went to take his message to. a stern message about afghanistan and at the ann

military may have dealt a damaging blow to the taliban in pakistan. a pakistani official says the leader of the taliban there has been killed. it is believed that mehsud was killed in a u.s. drone attack. a pakistani official says they won't know for sure until they do more investigation, including dna processing. mehsud was believed to be behind the assassination of benazir bhutto in the summer of 2007. >>> there is new insight this morning into the arrest of two american journalists released by north korea this week. lisa ling says her sister, laura, and euna lee briefly cross under to north korea. quoting here, maybe 30 seconds. the two journalists returned to the states wednesday after former president bill clinton intervene would pyongyang. the two journalists never set out to enter the communist country. >> we know for certain that laura and euna never intended to cross the border when they left u.s. soil and laura's actually very eager to tell the story of what actually happened and i want to let her do so, but right now she's really just getti

face off of it, because you might be going in to areas like that tribal region of pakistan, where you wouldn't want u.s. military forces at the risk of being caught. but on the other hand, it was a diplomatic disaster from the beginning, because how could you put contractors in there without an official government backing. so, it all became a big mess, and apparently that's why director panetta decided to cancel the whole thing. >> barbara, thanks for staying on top of that. appreciate it. >>> the threatening phone calls, impersonating police? just some of the tactics being used by debt collectors. now, the new york attorney general is suing several collection companies over how they collected debts. cnn's mary snow is taking a look. >> reporter: michelle minten said she'll never forget the call she got the same day her daughter was diagnosed with autism. a man posing as a lawyer claims she owed $4,400 and said her arrest was imminent if she didn't pay up. >> he was getting very insistent and started, you know, i don't remember all the words, but started talking about your kids will s

and that's how we took out baitullah mehsud, the top taliban leader in pakistan, who was also one of bin laden's key allies. so, the goal here is essentially to have a pincer where we are squeezing them on both sides. we're eliminating their allies. it's making it more difficult for them to communicate, making it more difficult for them to operate safe havens. and over time, what we hope to do is flush them out. we are going to keep on putting pressure on them. and i know that it's at great cost. i mean, you know, i have to sign letters to family members who have fallen, and a lot more are falling in afghanistan than in iraq. and as a consequence, we've got to make sure that we are really focused on finishing the job in afghanistan, but it's going to take some time. >> mr. president, susan listens to wor news radio 710 in new york city. susan, go ahead for the president of the united states. >> caller: yes. thank you very much, mr. president, for talking to us directly about this important issue. >> thank you, susan. >> caller: we all want reform. i guess it's really a matter of what